


A Kind of Magic

by Jinkxedparty



Series: A Kind of Magic [1]
Category: Queen (Band)
Genre: F/M, Fem!Brian May - Freeform, First Day of School, First Meetings, Fluff, Genderbend Character, Kid Fic, Single Parent AU, Teacher!John, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-28
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 19:00:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,315
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26163787
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jinkxedparty/pseuds/Jinkxedparty
Summary: Brianna takes her son to his first day of school, and not everything goes according to plan for her. Not to mention her son has a really cute teacher.A fem!Bri and teacher!John single parent AU.
Relationships: John Deacon/Brian May
Series: A Kind of Magic [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1899979
Comments: 3
Kudos: 20





	A Kind of Magic

“Mummyyyyyy!!” 

Brianna jolted awake as she felt a weight shift on her bed. She lifted her face out of the pillow to find her five-year-old son, Apollo, bouncing up and down on her bed. 

“Mummy wake up! Wake up, mummy!” The little boy cheered, climbing in the bed to join his mother under the covers. 

“Good morning my little star.” Brianna yawned, wrapping her arms around her son and pulling him into a hug. “What’s got you so excited?”

Apollo giggled. “It’s the first day of school!”

She really couldn’t believe it. It felt like yesterday she had just held her baby in her arms for the first time and now he’s already starting kindergarten. He was growing up so fast. 

“Your first day of school?” She repeated. “It can’t be! My baby boy is too little to go to school.”

Apollo shook his head, making his dark curls bounce on the top of his head. “No! I’m a big boy mummy.”

Bri chuckled and kissed the top of his curls. “Okay then my big boy, let’s get you all ready for your first day of school.” 

She rolled out of her bed with Apollo carefully perched on her hip. He was small for his age so it was a lot easier for Brianna to carry him than one would think. Apollo’s bedroom was right across the hall of their small two-bedroom flat. Brianna realized her son was up earlier than she had originally expected once she saw his bed was already made to the best of a five-year-old’s ability. She made a mental note to help him touch up his room after school, depending on if the day went well. 

Brianna set him down on the floor and went into the closet to pull out his school uniform. “Mummy has to get ready for school too, so let’s get you dressed for the day.” 

“But I want to do it myself, mummy!” Apollo bounced. “I’m a big boy now and big boys can get dressed by themselves.” 

Brianna placed the uniform on his bed for him to get dressed. “Okay then. Go ahead and get yourself and then you can watch cartoons while I get ready.”

After Apollo got himself dressed with minimal help from Brianna since he got his sweater on backward and couldn’t turn it around, Brianna let her son lay in her bed and watch some cartoons while she got ready for the day with a quick shower, avoiding getting her hair wet so she didn’t have to spend extra time drying it. She got dressed quickly in some black jeans, a white blouse, and a black blazer to pull it all together along with her favorite white clogs. Brianna normally wasn’t self conscious with her appearance, but she knew first impressions mattered and she wanted to make a good one for her baby boy’s first day of school. 

In almost every way, Apollo was a carbon copy of Brianna. They had the same dark curls, long face, lanky body, and pointed nose. The only difference was in their eyes. While Brianna’s were a bright hazel, Apollo had inherited his biological father’s blue-grey eyes. Both Brianna and her parents were thankful that was the only thing Apollo got from him, everything else was all Brianna. 

Brianna quickly ran her hands with some product through her curls in a vain attempt to style them. She did the same for Apollo’s unruly dark curls with more success than her own hair since she kept his hair much shorter than hers. She managed to get them gelled down and ran a comb through Apollo’s hair to make sure she got any runaway locks. 

“Don’t forget to do Badgey’s hair too mummy!” Apollo lifted up his favorite stuffed badger. It had a little scarf to match Apollo’s uniform that his godfather, Roger, had made special for Apollo’s first day of school.

“I would never forget.” Brianna smiled, running a clean comb through the badger’s fur to “style” it like Apollo’s. “It’s Badgey’s first day of school too.” 

Once they both were dressed and ready Brianna made a small breakfast for both of them. Apollo ate his cereal and fruit as quickly as he could, she could feel the excitement radiating off of him. 

“Are we ready yet mummy?” Apollo asked, getting even more excited to go to school as Brianna picked up the dirty dishes and placed them in the empty dishwasher. 

“In a moment love, go get your backpack from your room and I’ll walk you to school.” She said before watching her son bound down the hallway with his stuffed badger. She grabbed her bag from their small living room with her books and notes she would need for her work as Apollo came running out of his bedroom with his small black backpack. It was decorated with different constellations Brianna and Roger painted on to match her son’s love of stars and space. 

With both of them ready to go, it was finally time to take Apollo to his first day of school. 

~~~~~

Brianna felt Apollo’s hand nervously grasp her hand tighter as they approached the school grounds. She looked down and saw the nervous look on her son’s face replacing the excitement they had left the flat with. 

“Hey,” She squeezed his hand back. “It’s an exciting day, yeah? You’re gonna have a great first day.” 

Apollo shook his head, making the curls Brianna tried so hard to groom bounce to life. “But what if the other kids don’t like me mummy?”

“Oh nonsense,” Brianna reassured her son. “Of course they’re going to like you. What’s there not to like? They’re going to love you.” 

Apollo gave her a small smile and squeezed her hand even tighter as they walked up to the school gates. There was a teacher with a clipboard at the gates checking in new students for the first day.

“Hello, welcome! Are you here to drop your son off?” She asked, looking up at Brianna. 

“Um, yes,” Brianna answered. “It’s his first day in kindergarten.” 

“What’s his name?” She asked, turning her attention from Brianna to the clipboard in her hands. 

“My name is Apollo.” Apollo chirped up. “My mummy named me after a star!”

Brianna smiled at her son’s excitement. “It should be under May.”

“Ah yes, Apollo James May.” The teacher checked off his name. “I have his emergency contacts as Brianna Ruth May and Roger Meddows Taylor. Is that correct?” 

Brianna nodded. “Yep, and it should have both of our phone numbers to get in touch.”

The teacher scanned the list for the numbers. “I have them right here, so it looks like you’re all set. Apollo, you are going to be in the hedgehog class with Mr. Deacon. Line up starts in a few minutes so I’ll give you a moment to say goodbyes” 

Brianna thanked her and stepped aside to say goodbye. She knelt down and straightened up his uniform one last time. “Okay sweetheart, remember what we talked about?” 

Apollo nodded. “Always wait for you or Uncle Roggie to pick me up after school.”

“And?”

“And be nice and listen to my teacher.” He added on. 

Brianna gave her son one last hug, pulling him a little tighter. “You’re gonna have such a great day Apollo, I can tell.”

Apollo buried his face in Brianna’s blazer. “I wish you could go to school with me mummy.” 

“Do you have Badgey with you?”

The boy nodded, unzipping his backpack to reveal the stuffed badger inside. 

“As long as you have Badgey with you, I’ll be with you too. And I’ll be right here waiting for you when the school day is over.” She reassured him, giving both Apollo and Badgey a kiss on the cheek. As much as it broke her heart, it was time to say goodbye.

Brianna gave her son one last hug before Apollo was led in the school gates along with the other students. Bri felt tears prick her eyes as she watched her son walk through the school gates to his first day of school. 

~~~~~~

The strong smell of roasting coffee beans hit Brianna’s senses as she opened the door to the coffee shop. It was only a few blocks down from Apollo’s school and quiet enough for her to get her work done. It also helped that her best friend Roger worked there and could keep her company throughout the day while Apollo was at school. 

Roger wasn’t Apollo’s biological father, but he was as close as it got to be Apollo’s dad. Roger was her shoulder to cry on when Apollo’s father left her after she told him she was pregnant. He was with Brianna every step of the way throughout her pregnancy. Every odd craving, every baby class, every doctor’s appointment, and even in the delivery room, Roger was right by her side. 

“You’re here early.” He pointed out, “How was the kid’s first day of school?” 

“He was very excited.” Brianna smiled as Roger handed her her usual coffee order. “He was already up and ready to go before I could even get out of bed.”

“They grow up fast,” Roger leaned over the counter. “I can’t believe the little bugger is already going to school.”

Brianna let out a small sigh. “Yea, I can’t either.”

On top of being a single parent, Brianna was working as a graduate research assistant and studying to get her Ph.D. in Astrophysics. Her research assistant job coincided with her studies, so she was so close to graduating she could almost taste it. Now that Apollo was in school, she had more time to work on her research and studies. 

Brianna took a seat at a table in the back corner of the shop and pulled various textbooks and notebooks out of her bag. She had a report due soon about her research on the zodiacal dust cloud and she had hours to kill before she had to pick up Apollo. Roger would occasionally stop by her table to refill her drink and sat with her during his lunch break to keep her company while she worked.

“Hey Bri,” Roger broke Brianna from her concentration. She had been stuck on this one piece of her research that she couldn’t figure out how to put into words. “Aren’t you supposed to pick up Apollo soon?”

Brianna looked up at the clock on the other end of the shop for the first time all day. It was already 2:55 and she was supposed to be at the school gates ten minutes ago.

“Shit.” Bri cursed under her breath. “Shit shit shit shit I’m late.” She immediately shoved her notes inside textbooks and slammed her notebooks shut before stashing them in her bag. Apollo’s school was only a few blocks from the coffee shop, but it was still a good fifteen-minute walk with Brianna’s clogs. 

By the time Brianna had arrived at the school gates, most students had already been picked up for the day. She made her way inside and found a reception desk close to the front that was occupied by a petite blonde woman in her late twenties typing away at a large computer. 

“Hi,” Brianna rushed up to the receptionist. “I’m here to pick up my son, Apollo May.”

“Okay,” The receptionist, Ms. Ashton, typed Apollo’s name into the system. “Do you know who his teacher is?” 

Brianna furrowed her brow, trying to remember what she was told this morning. “Umm I know started with a D. I think he was in the hedgehog class if that helps.”

Ms. Ashton led Bri down the hallway to the kindergarten classrooms, each of them decorated with different animals that were in alphabetical order from armadillo to hedgehog. The door to the hedgehog classroom was left ajar and Brianna could hear Apollo on the other side of the door. “This is Mr. Deacon’s classroom. Your son should be right inside.” 

Bri walked up and knocked on the door before stepping in. The classroom was decorated with a very cute nature theme. A row of cubbies with colorful paper hedgehog name tags took up one wall. Each hedgehog had a student’s name in alphabetical order with smooth calligraphy. There were different stations set up around the room, one for reading with an array of different picture books and a small group of bean bag chairs for the kids to sit and read their books, tables were placed around the room for students to sit at during their lessons, and near the front of the room was a colorful rug scattered with building blocks and other educational toys. Apollo was sitting on the rug playing with another little boy while a man who Brianna guessed was Apollo’s teacher watched them.

“Mummy!” She felt Apollo crash against her legs before wrapping her in a hug. 

“Hi sweetheart,” She laughed and bent down to hug him back. “Did you have a good first day?”

Apollo nodded excitedly. “Yeah, Mr. Deacon is the nicest teacher ever! And I made a new best friend today!”

Brianna let out a fake gasp. “You did? I thought Badgey and I were your best friends.”

“But Benny is my bestest friend, mummy.” The little boy laughed. “And Mr. Deacon is his daddy so we can play after school too!” 

“Well, that’s great sweetie. It’s time to go home now though so go get your backpack and Badgey.” She gestured over to the wooden cubby holding his star painted backpack with the stuffed badger placed neatly underneath the backpack. Apollo quickly ran off to the wall of cubbies to grab his backpack and gently packed the Badger away inside. 

“You must be Apollo’s mother.” The teacher stood up to meet Brianna face to face. “It’s very nice to meet you.” Apollo’s teacher, Mr. Deacon, was exactly Brianna’s type. He had a puff of honey brown curls neatly styled that complimented his greenish-grey eyes that crinkled at the edges when he smiled, revealing the small gap between his two front teeth. 

Brianna nodded and stood up to shake his hand, trying not to show how nervous she was for this not so stellar first impression showing up late to pick up Apollo, and it didn’t help that he was actually quite attractive. “Brianna May. It’s nice to meet you too. I’m so sorry for running late. I got caught up with work and I completely lost track of the time. I promise I won’t run so late in the future, this normally doesn't happen often.” 

“It’s alright. Mrs. May.” Apollo’s teacher reassured her with a gentle smile. He had a very calming presence around him that helped Brianna relax and stop worrying about what he was thinking about her. 

“It’s actually Ms. May,” She corrected him. “But you can just call me Brianna.”

“Well, it’s very nice to meet you Brianna.” The teacher finished. “I’m Apollo’s teacher, John Deacon. But you can just call me John if we’re going on a first name basis. And you don’t have to apologize for anything, Ben and I enjoyed having Apollo keep us company.” 

“It’s very nice to meet you John, I really like your classroom.” Brianna looked around. “Did your girlfriend help you decorate it?” 

John laughed. “Actually, my friend Freddie helped me decorate. He made most of the crafts and helped me put my classroom together.” 

“Well, he has a great eye for decorating.” She grinned, looking at all the different hedgehog and nature themed decorations spread around the classroom. “Apollo, help finish putting the toys away and say goodbye to Benny and Mr. Deacon. It’s time to go home.” 

Apollo nodded and began helping Ben put away the toy blocks he and Ben were playing with while Brianna held onto his backpack. 

“Actually, Ben and I are about to head home as well if you would like to walk out with us.” John offered, “All of my work is done for the day, I just have to lock up the classroom and then I’ll be all set to go.”

Brianna was thinking over her options while Apollo and Ben finished cleaning up their toys. “Benny and Mr. Deacon live in our building mommy! Can we go home with them? Pleeeeeeeeeease?” 

Brianna didn’t know how to respond. She didn't want to keep them waiting for her and Apollo, but also she didn’t want to rush him if he had to stay at school and finish up his own work. 

“Oh no, you don’t have to do that,” Brianna replied. “I don’t want to rush you.” 

“It’s no problem at all,” the teacher reassured her. “Ben and I were just about to head out anyway. We live just up the road and already planned to walk home anyways.” 

~~~~~~~~

Apollo and Ben walked in front so their parents could keep an eye on them. The boys were playing their own made up game as they walked home, and the only thing the parents knew about their game involved jumping over sidewalk cracks. 

“So,” John broke the silence. “You and Apollo’s father. Are you together or…” He trailed off.

“Oh no,” Brianna waved him off, “He hasn’t been in the picture for a long while. I’m not even sure if he knows Apollo even exists.”

She saw a wave of relief wash over the teacher’s face for just a brief moment before replacing it with slight sadness. “I’m so sorry. I assumed you were together from what I had on Apollo’s emergency contacts. We’re supposed to go through them before school starts just in case something happens to the kids.” 

Brianna laughed lightly. “Oh no, you don’t have to be sorry John. Roger is my best friend. He’s Apollo’s godfather, not his biological father. He lives close by so I put him down as an emergency contact in case I couldn’t make it to the school in time.”

John and Brianna continued their conversation on the short walk home. Bri noticed how John listened very intently as she talked to him about her studies and her work as a research assistant. 

Brianna asked John about his teaching and what inspired him to be a teacher. John explained how he had only recently moved to this side of London with Ben after a nasty breakup with Ben’s mother. Turns out she had found someone else and didn’t want to be tied down with him and Ben. Ben was a very quiet child after the breakup, but John was really surprised and happy how Brianna’s son was able to bring Ben out of his shell. It reminded him of the happy little boy Ben was before the breakup and it was so relieving to see his son in a happy mood again. 

“Well, this is our stop.” John stopped short with Ben in front of their apartment. Ben looked up and pouted at his father with his big green eyes. 

“Can Apollo come play dad?’ He asked quietly.

“As long as it’s okay with Apollo’s mummy.” John reassured his son. 

Brianna smiled. “Apollo and I have to go home now, but I promise Apollo can come over and play soon Ben.” 

“Okay.” Ben nodded and hid behind his dad’s legs. “Can we go inside now daddy?”

“Of course we can bud,” John smiled, making the corners of his eyes crinkle again. “I’ll see you around Bri. It was very nice to meet you.” 

“It was nice to meet you too John.” Brianna grinned. “Apollo, say goodbye to Mr. Deacon and Ben.” 

“Bye Mr. Deacon! Bye Benny!” Apollo waved to the duo as they made their way up the stairs to Brianna’s apartment.

Brianna felt her cheeks warm up and turn red as she watched the teacher walk away. At least she knew they would be seeing a lot of each other in the future.


End file.
